US pauses ‘zero tolerance’ immigration policy

White House defends policy, saying border officials are out of resources

US has paused policy of referring illegal immigrants to prosecutors
(Image credit: 2006 Getty Images)

The head of the US Customs and Border Protection has said it will stop referring adults who arrive illegally in the US with children to prosecutors until the Department of Justice can agree a policy that won’t involve separating children from their parents.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders denied that the decision amounted to the end of the “zero tolerance” immigration policy, saying: “We’re not changing the policy. We’re simply out of resources.”

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up